Pic Programmer - Types
Pic programmers differ in the way they connect to the PC as well as the chips they support. They also differ in whether or not the chip is in the circuit you're making when you program it. Most programmers support ICSP (In Circuit Serial Programming) connections. This just means that you can build a connection into the circuit that allows you to program the chip without removing it.
Decisions, decisions.
The first decision I made was what that I wanted an ICSP connection. While it's not a big deal to swap the chips during testing, I didn't want to have to open the controller if I decided to reprogram it. I also wanted an external power supply. While power can be drawn the port connected to the PC, I've heard issues with some serial ports not having enough power. One less thing to debug seemed worth the effort.
As for the connection on the PC end, the serial and parallel port version seemed equally simple. The USB versions I ran across all needed a programmed PIC, so I was in a catch-22.
